And did you see that postcard snuggled in there? VLVS! has made up these cards using the art I did, that was used for an ad in the last edition of RubberStampMadness magazine. I don't know if they'll be including one in every order, but it was a thrill getting one in my box!

Today's the day to vote on your favorite entry in the Viva Las Vegastamps! Halloween Party Blog Hop. Not only will the artist with the most votes win a prize, so will one of the voters, chosen at random!

"Oh, that's boring. I want an Og. Draw me an Og. And a Nog, too. I want a Og and a Nog."

I sighed, and turned to a fresh sheet of paper. Long experience assured me that the battle was just begun. Best to cede victory, pay tribute, and get back to what I was doing. Besides, a vision of an Og had just flashed through my brain.

You've heard of Frozen Charlottes? How about Frozen Woolly Mammoths? I had this cool little box and hubby wanted me to put a mammoth inside it, lol.

A little Delight clay from Creative Paperclay® and I had my mammoth. First I pasted a scene of snowy hills into the bottom of the box (doesn't show up in the scan, unfortunately). I colored my mammoth with some Marvy La Plume markers in Yellow Ochre and Coffee, then I popped him into the box and poured in some ICE Resin, encasing him in an icy plastic.

A few hours later it had set (though, instructions say it takes up to 3 days to fully cure). Fun!

The theme for the Rhodia Journal Swap is 'Favorite Things'. I'm stretching this, because this round I'm drawing in Julie Bynum's journal and I know that two of her favorite things are her Akitas Jewelz and Kota. Since dogs, in general, are a favorite thing of mine, I'm drawing her akitas. Since I don't know the dogs, and their colors are in the black, gray and brown range, I decided to stay with just black & white pen drawings.

I'm a bit worried though. Somehow, a setting was changed on my PC so that I have square view on a widescreen monitor. Usually, I scan my work in and it gives me something I can use to check my values and perspective. But the view is so wacked now, that I can't trust what I'm seeing. I hope there aren't any obvious errors. Wish I could figure out how to get the proper view back!

For introduction, specs and description of the Pilot FriXion Erasable Color-Pencil-Like Gel Pen please see my earlier reviews, Part 1 & Part II.

I actually hadn't planned to do a Part III. But I kept wondering how these pens would do for coloring rubber stamp images. I had decided I preferred using the pens on rough surfaced paper, but a rough surface isn't good for stamping.

So I knew at the outset that I'd need to choose the right paper. I decided to go with the Stillman & Birn Epsilon Series for my test.

The Epsilon has a very smooth surface, boarding on slick, but it's a harder paper than the dotWebbie Clairefontaine paper.

Pilot Frixion Erasable Color-Pencil-Like Gel Pen
Last week, I wrote a review about the Pilot FriXion Erasable Color-Pencil-Like Gel Pen. Please check it out for specs and to learn more about these pens. You also read further with Part III.
Friday, I ended up spending 3 1/2 hours at a laundromat (my dryer is dead), fighting washers and dryers that wouldn't work. Did you know you get very wet transferring loads of sopping wet clothes from one washer to another? Thank heavens I had many quarters.
Not that my laundromat nightmare is relevant, except that in between laundry moves I had time to draw. This time around I used the FriXions in my Stilman & Birn Delta Series notepad, and there were quite a few differences in performance from my experience on the smooth Clairefontaine paper.
The Delta has a rough surface, which has enough tooth for light watercolor washes and is great for color pencil.
The resistence I mentioned in my previous review was gone. The colors still turned a…

For those of you unfamiliar with the Carnival, it's a once-a-month roundup of articles relating in some way to the topic of Pens, Pencils and Paper. It's a way for like-minded people to find each other's blogs--you'll find new people to follow and new people will find your blog, if you submit an article or two.

When I saw these pens on the Jetpens blog, I was intrigued by the comparison to color pencils. I had to try them out. I was tempted to buy the set of 24, but decided I wanted to try a few of them first, so I bought what I felt were the basic colors. I wish I'd gone ahead and bought the set of 24, lol.

I recently did a review that included a Pilot FriXion Gel Ink Pen, but these differ in body and pen tip. It could be my imagination but the ink itself seemed different as well, more chalk-like in appearance.

The name of this pen compares it to color pencil, but it didn't take me long to realize I would have to accept t…

Okay. I'm using my woman's prerogative and changing my mind. I had decided against re-applying for the Viva Las Vegastamps! design team because life is a bit crazy, and I worried I might be able to make all my deadlines. But the team is so fantastic, and I dearly love me all those wonderful stamps and crafting products...so, here are three projects that I consider ...maybe not my best...but the best representatives of my style. Styles? Style. :)

If you have any interest, please consider applying. Viva Las Vegastamps! has a tremendous number of stamps of all genres. They look for all different styles of work. You might be just what they are looking for. Sept. 15th is the DEADLINE to apply to the Viva Las VegaStamps! Design Team Call. You don't have to create something new--just show your best. CLICK HERE for DETAILS.

I missed this make'n'take but caught the next one on embossing using a couple of different techniques.

I felt really stupid using the rainbow technique for the top one. When you emboss you stamp, pour on the powder, and then tap the excess powder back into the jar. I was using three colors and I got so caught up in deciding my colors that I poured on all three. Which means it was impossible to tap the excess back--a waste of powder. I should have known better!

I only bring this up because everyone was so gracious about my mistake. I'm clearly experienced enough to know better, but I was made to feel completely at ease. If you hesitate to go for a make'n'take because you don't have experience, or worry that you'll make mistakes then you have no excuse, lol!

The classes are short, easy and you'll be made to feel completely at home. The name 'Blockheads' was chosen because the company understan…

My prize has been sitting in a bag next to my chair, while I cast longing eyes upon it, but I had to wait until while I kept up with other commitments.

Finally, my friend Robin and I had a crafting day. I gave her one of the albums to do and I did another.

I did the Leaf Album. I apologize for the poor photography. These pieces were too large for the scanner, and the shiny paint I used made it difficult to get a good photo.

I had this nice cobwebby stuff from the Dollar Store that made me think of moss hanging from trees. I thought it went well with the album. For the first leaf, front and back, I decoupaged pieces from old magazine pages onto the …

I received a cool package from Shoplet this week-a set of Pilot Be Green Dry Erase Markers w/refill, a Pilot FriXion Lite Erasable Highlighter, a Pilot FriXion Erasable Gel Pen, a Pilot B2P Recycled Ballpoint Pen, and a Pilot G2 Gel Roller Ball Pen. (For some reason, I didn't include the highlighter in this photo. I think it was hiding from me).

The BeGreen Dry Erase Marker is made with 91% recycled content and has a refillable ink supply and chisel tip. It's a fat little thing, lol, but even though I have small hands, it was comfortable to use. The 5 pack I received has orange, red, blue, green and black markers, plus I received a red ink refill.

I was a bit concerned at first. I don't use a dry erase board, and I can't think of why I might need one. But that's what the internet is for, isn't it? I looked up uses for dry erase markers, and it turns out that they'll write on mirrors, metal cabinets, plastic freezer cont…